EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jalen Nailor is running in the open field at near-max speed on this mid-September evening, a level few players on the Indiana defense can match. He periodically peeks back, surveying his surroundings, looking over his shoulder every few seconds. Of course, the chances of anyone catching Nailor from behind are as low as his 40 time, but still, he can’t help but glance back on his way to greener pastures.

The initial look behind takes place around the 50-yard line. He does it again around the 35, the 20 and once more at the 5. For a player as elusive as Nailor, it seemed less about due diligence and more about appreciating the separation he was creating in real time. And when he completed his excursion to the end zone — a 75-yard touchdown run that secured Michigan State’s 35-21 win over Indiana in the second game of his career — Nailor simply tossed the football aside and offered a simple shrug, the sign of a player who’d done this...